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“You know, it’s too bad Matty wouldn’t let us take the Phoenix jet.”
Riley laughs as she tries to keep two-year-old Wyatt from escaping her lap and running rampant through the airport. “Yeah, do you really want to take our kids on such a fancy plane?”
“At least it’d be better than all of this,” Mac says with a small shrug, gesturing to the space around them, the floors of LAX hustling and bustling with all sorts of people traveling for the holiday season.
Riley smiles, leaning closer to her husband. “But it’s all part of the experience.” She gives him a quick kiss and then leans back in time to tighten her hold around their youngest. “It would be nice to not have to wait, but I think the girls are excited about getting to fly on the plane like everyone else.”
“They probably would have been excited about the jet, too,” Mac mumbles, pulling out a couple of paperclips to fiddle with.
Riley rolls her eyes at her husband as she settles back in her chair, pulling Wyatt into her lap and hugging him close. She peppers kisses all over his face, making the boy giggle. “Why can’t you sit still, huh? There are too many people to let you run around right now.”
“A’pane!” Wyatt shouts, leaning out of her arms again and stretching his tiny hands out.
“Mom, I think he wants to watch the airplanes outside.”
Riley looks at her oldest, then at the large windows in front of them, then down at her youngest. She lets out a heavy sigh. “Can’t believe I didn’t realize that.” She glances over at Mac. “I think this trip is stressing me out more than I was willing to admit.”
Mac just smiles softly at her. “It’s okay. No harm done. I can take him over to the windows and let him watch the planes, give you a few minutes to rest and relax.” He stands and takes Wyatt from her, hiking the squirming boy onto his hip.
“I wanna come too, dad,” Ellie speaks up, shifting in her seat and sliding her book about astronomy into her backpack.
“Me too, me too!” Cassie shouts, bouncing up and down on her heels where she stands using one of the few empty seats as a table for coloring.
Mac chuckles. “Alright, let’s all go look at the planes.” He hikes Wyatt up a little higher and ushers the girls over toward the large windows, tossing a smile over his shoulder at Riley.
For her part, Riley watches her family for a moment with a smile on her face, laughing when Wyatt nearly falls out of Mac’s arms in his haste to get a better look at the airplanes. Yes, she’s a little more stressed than usual because it’s their first time taking the kids on a plane, but this is the kind of stress that she’s more than okay with. She much prefers this vacation stress over the stress from their job.
“You have a lovely family.”
Riley turns and smiles politely at an elderly woman sitting just a couple of seats away. “Thank you. They are pretty great. I wouldn’t trade them for anything, even when they drive me a little crazy.”
The woman laughs. “Oh, but that’s just part of it. Sometimes I miss the days when my sons would drive me up the walls.”
“Are they grown, then?”
The woman nods. “One is, yes. My oldest is living in Colorado with his husband and two boys, and my youngest passed away just a few years ago in a car accident.”
Riley’s smile falters. “I’m so sorry to hear that. I can’t even imagine the kind of pain you went through. If anything ever happened to one of my babies I don’t know if I’d be able to handle it.”
“It’s certainly something I’d never wish on anyone. Though, something tells me you’d have a good support system,” she says, gesturing with her head.
Riley follows the woman’s eyes and smiles at the sight of Mac picking Cassie up and holding her upside down, making the girl laugh. “He’s the love of my life. And the best dad.”
“I’m Harriet, by the way,” the woman says, drawing Riley’s attention back to her.
Riley accepts the hand that’s held out to her. “Nice to meet you, Harriet. I’m Riley. My husband’s name is Mac.”
“And your kids?”
“Our eldest is Ellen, then there’s Cassandra, and our youngest is Wyatt.”
“Such beautiful names.”
“Thanks. We think so too.”
“So how long have you two been together?”
Riley takes a deep breath and leans back in her chair. “Well, we celebrated our eighth wedding anniversary in July, but we’ve been together for just over ten years.”
Harriet smiles sweetly. “Oh, that’s so nice to hear. A whole decade together. You two must really love each other.”
Riley smiles brightly. “We do. We met through work and clicked pretty quickly, though it took until the pandemic when we were in quarantine together for us to finally admit our feelings. He’s my best friend and my entire world. There’s no one else I’d rather do any of this with.”
“I’d have to agree with you on that, Riles.”
Riley looks up to see Mac making his way over with all three of their kids clinging to him; Cassie is wrapped around a leg, Ellie’s hanging from his back, and Wyatt is dangling from his front. She laughs. “Well, this is definitely a sight.”
“They got bored with the planes,” he tells her.
She nods. “I see. And evidently, they thought they’d use you as a jungle gym.”
Mac smiles. “Isn’t that what I’m here for?”
Riley laughs quietly. “Maybe. Kids,” she says a bit louder to get each child’s attention, “get off your dad before you break him.”
Ellie and Cassie both reluctantly detach themselves from Mac, moving back toward their chairs for their book and coloring respectively. Wyatt stays attached to Mac, curling up and closing his eyes.
Riley smiles at the sight, tilting her head. “Think someone might need a nap soon.”
“No place better than in an airport, right?” Mac chuckles, adjusting his hold on their youngest. “I’m gonna walk around a bit, see if that’ll help him get to sleep.” He leans down to give her a quick kiss. “Girls, be good for your mom.”
“Wait!” Ellie shouts. “Where are you going?”
Mac smiles softly. “I’m just gonna walk around with Wyatt to try and get him to go to sleep. You stay here with your mom and sister. I’ll be back soon.” He drops a kiss to the top of Ellie’s head, then to Cassie’s, and then turns and makes his way across the airport floor, one of his hands coming up to run soothingly over Wyatt’s back.
“So, I’m guessing you’re all headed to the same place as me since we’re sitting in the same area,” Harriet says, catching Riley’s attention again.
Riley smiles and nods. “Yeah. By whatever miracle, Mac and I don’t have to work this Christmas, so we thought it’d be fun to take the kids to go see actual snow this year.”
“Oh, I’m sure they’re gonna love it.”
Riley laughs quietly. “That’s the hope. Ellie loves pretty much everything Mac does, so as long as he enjoys it, she will too. Cass will probably love it until she gets too cold, and Wyatt’s only two, so I have no idea if he’ll like all the snow or not. To be honest, he’ll probably try and eat it the whole time/“
Harriet laughs quietly. “Oh, I remember very well the age of having to watch them closely because they’ll put anything and everything in their mouths.”
Riley’s eyes go wide and she sits up a little straighter. “Yes. Oh my goodness. The number of times I’ve thought I was going to have a heart attack because one of them ate something off the floor. I’m glad Ellie and Cassie are old enough not to do that anymore, but I’m still concerned about Wyatt.”
“Yes, well, you wouldn’t be a mother if you weren’t worried the majority of the time.”
“I can definitely believe that. I just hope this vacation goes well and I won’t spend the entire time worrying.”
“Hey, Riles. We may have a bit of a problem.”
Riley looks up toward her husband, taking in the apologetic look on his face, and furrows her brows. “Why? What happened?”
Mac goes to open his mouth to answer when there’s a click of the airport intercom, a staticky, half-coherent message coming over the system.
Riley frowns. “Did they really just say what I think they did?”
Mac nods. “Yeah. I was coming over to tell you because it’s already up on the boards.”
She sighs heavily, running a hand through her hair. “Why am I not even surprised?” She reaches out and takes Wyatt from Mac, holding him close and rubbing her hand up and down his back. “You wanna go see about our checked bags while I get the kids together?”
“Sure.” He leans down to give her a quick kiss and then turns to make his way through the airport.
Continuing to run her hand up and down Wyatt’s back to keep him asleep, Riley turns her attention to her daughters. “Girls, time to put your stuff away. The weather’s pretty bad in Chicago so we’re not gonna be able to fly there anymore, which means we’re gonna stay here for Christmas.”
Ellie frowns. “But I wanted to see the snow, mom.”
“I know, baby. We can try again next year, okay?”
Ellie sighs, shutting her book. “Okay. I’ll help Cassie clean up.”
“Thank you.” She lets out a breath and looks over at Harriet. “So much for a white Christmas, huh?”
Harriet smiles sympathetically. “You’ll just have to make this one a little extra special, won’t you?”
“I guess.”
“Mom, we’re ready,” Ellie speaks up. “And I got Wyatt’s stuff together too.”
Riley smiles at her eldest. “Thanks, Ellie. Do you think you can carry Wyatt’s bag and yours too? Or do you want me to take one?”
Ellie shakes her head. “I can do it.”
“Well, okay, then. Let’s go find dad so we can get home. I’m sure Grandpa Jack is going to love that we’re staying here for Christmas.” She looks at Harriet once more as she stands, adjusting her hold on Wyatt. “It was great meeting you, Harriet. Merry Christmas.”
“Merry Christmas, dear. I hope you all get home okay.”
“Thanks.” She flashes the woman a smile then reaches out to grab Cassie’s hand to keep the young girl from wandering off. She checks to make sure that Ellie is close by, even though she knows in the back of her head that her eldest would never wander off at a time like this, and then starts making her way across the airport floor.
It’s a bit tougher than she’d hoped, trying to find their way to Mac, given that they aren’t the only ones with a canceled flight either trying to get another or get home. She just hopes they won’t be caught up too badly trying to get out. That is the very last thing that they need..
.
.
.
Pushing through the front door of their house, Riley passes a half-asleep Wyatt over to Mac once he’s pushed the suitcases aside, and then digs her ringing phone out of her pocket. She lets out a breath as she answers the call and holds it up to her ear with her shoulder, gently ushering Cassie further into the house.
“Hi, mom.”
“Hi, sweetheart. I just saw your text. Your flight was canceled?”
“Unfortunately.” She nudges Cassie’s discarded shoes against the wall and then moves further into the house herself. “We’re back at the house now, but Ellie’s pretty disappointed about not getting to see the snow.” She falls down onto the couch and leans back. “Does Jack know yet that we’re staying?”
Her mom laughs. “No, but I’m sure he’ll figure it out soon. And he’ll be very excited to know you’re staying in LA.”
Riley rolls her eyes despite the smile on her face. “Of course, he will be.” She glances over to see Mac lingering in the kitchen with a fussing Wyatt in his arms, gently bouncing the boy to keep him calm. “Hey, mom, I should go so I can help Mac with the kids, but now that we’re staying, I’m sure you and Jack will want to come over. Let us settle back in and then I’ll text you when it’s good to come by.”
“Okay, sounds like a plan. Give those babies hugs from their grandma. I’ll see you soon.”
“Yeah. Bye, mom.”
“Bye, sweetheart.”
Ending the call, Riley sets her phone aside as she stands and makes her way toward her family. She immediately takes Wyatt into her arms, cuddling him close and gently bouncing him as she rubs a hand up and down his back.
She arches a brow at her husband. “You good?”
Mac sighs. “Not really. I was really looking forward to this vacation. And I know you were too. I’m sorry.”
“Hey, it’s not your fault. You’ve got dozens of skills, babe, but controlling the weather isn’t one of them.”
“No, I know. I just…” Mac’s eyes light up a second later. “Controlling the weather…” He grins. “Riles, you’re a genius.”
She snorts. “Tell me something new.”
He steps forward to kiss her quickly and then rushes toward the front door. “Keep the kids occupied. Don’t let them come outside yet.”
She just shakes her head at his antics, listening for the sound of the front door closing. She ducks her head enough to look at Wyatt. “What’s your dad up to, huh?” She bounces him gently. “I’m sure we’ll find out soon enough. Let's go see where your sisters are.”
Moving down the hallway toward the bedroom her daughters share, Riley smiles when she hears the quiet chatter coming through the slightly ajar door. Nudging it open, she leans against the doorframe and watches the scene for a moment. Both girls are sitting in the middle of the bedroom floor on the large moon rug that Ellie begged Mac to get them, several Christmas-themed storybooks spread out around them.
“Mom!” Ellie shouts excitedly after a few minutes, having finally spotted her. “Me and Cassie are picking out a story for later before we go to bed. That way we don’t spend time picking later when we could be reading.”
“How very proactive,” Riley says with a smile. “Did you decide on one yet?”
Ellie frowns. “No. There’s a lot of good ones. And me and Cassie want different ones.”
Riley laughs quietly. “I see. Well, maybe…as a special treat since we didn’t get to go on our trip, dad and I can read you two stories tonight. You pick one and Cassie picks one.”
Ellie beams. “Really? Awesome. Cassie, mom said we can have two stories tonight.”
Cassie smiles widely. “Yay! I want this one,” she says immediately, reaching for one of the storybooks and nearly falling on her face.
“Okay. Well, I want this one. I think you’re gonna like it too, Cass. It’s really fun.”
Cassie shakes her head and holds up the book in her hands. “No. I want this one.”
“I know,” Ellie says, sounding almost exasperated by her younger sister. “Mom said we can have two stories tonight. So we’ll read one that you want and one that I want. Okay?”
“Okay.”
Ellie smiles. “Mom, we got our books.”
“Awesome. Should we figure out something to eat, then? I don’t know about you girls, but I’m getting kind of hungry and I think it’s almost dinner time. So maybe once your dad gets back from whatever it is he’s suddenly decided he needs to do, we can—”
“Riles!” Mac’s voice carries through the house. “Bring the kids outside. I’ve got a surprise for you all.”
Riley lets out a breath and looks at her daughters. “Well, I guess your dad wants us outside. So let’s go see what he did.” She steps out of the doorway, allowing Ellie and Cassie to pass by her, and then shuffles along behind them, hiking Wyatt up a little higher on her hip. “He better not have broken anything this time,” she mumbles as she moves through the house.
She’s not far behind her girls, so she’s able to see the instant they see whatever it is Mac was up to, their small bodies standing in the doorway leading out to the deck. She steps up behind them and then lets out a small gasp when she sees the white flakes slowly falling from the sky and landing on the deck.
“It’s snowing!” Ellie shouts a moment later, darting up the stairs with Cassie on her heels. She doesn’t waste a single second twirling around in the falling snow and tilting her head back, trying to catch some on her tongue.
Cassie immediately copies her big sister’s movements, stumbling every so often as she twirls around the deck with her head back. She breaks out into a fit of giggles seconds later, jumping up and down and waving her arms in the arm. “I love the snow! Wyatt, come on!”
Finally making her way up onto the deck, Riley sets her youngest down and watches as he excitedly toddles over to his sisters, now completely wide awake, and then shifts her attention to her husband. He’s standing against the back railing, watching their children with the same smile he always has whenever he looks at the kids, his arms crossed casually across his chest.
“You know,” she starts as she begins making her way toward him, “after ten years together, I didn’t think you’d still be able to surprise me.” She stops directly in front of him, her hands shoved into the back pockets of her jeans, and tilts her head back to smile up at him. “Yet here we are.”
He chuckles lightly, uncrossing his arms to grab her by the waist and pull her closer. “You do remember I’ve done this little trick before, right?”
“No, I definitely remember.” She winds her arms around his waist and steps a little closer to him, tilting her head back more to see him better. “I just didn’t think you’d use it again.”
“Well, maybe I should use it more,” he suggests. “Make more white Christmases for the kids.”
She shakes her head. “No. I think it’s more special if it isn’t done as much.”
He smiles. “Well, okay. This will just be a once-in-a-blue moon type of thing, then. I’m just glad the kids are enjoying it. Maybe it’ll wear them out, playing out here, and it’ll be easier to put them to bed.”
Riley laughs. “You’ve got some high expectations, MacGyver. These are your kids we’re talking about. Playing out here in the snow you made is just going to keep them up even later.”
“Wait. Dad, you made it snow?”
Riley looks over her shoulder to see Ellie watching them with a slightly dropped jaw. She laughs quietly and nods. “He did.”
Ellie’s eyes go wide. “No way.” She spins around toward her sister. “Cassie, dad made it snow!”
“Yay daddy!” Cassie shouts, jumping and clapping excitedly.
Riley steps out of Mac’s arms to join her kids under the falling snow, immediately scooping Wyatt up and spinning him around, making the toddler giggle. “I take it you all love what your dad did.”
Ellie beams. “So much! This is the coolest! Connor’s gonna be so jealous when I tell him dad made it snow.”
Riley laughs. “I’m sure he will be.” She sets Wyatt back on the deck when he wriggles, and then tilts her head back and closes her eyes, letting out a small sigh as the artificial snow falls on her face. “Oh, I think this is even better than the last time.”
“Yeah?”
She cracks her eyes open to glance over at her husband as he slowly moves closer. “Absolutely. Last time we were just starting to become friends. This time we’re married with three awesome kids. So it’s definitely better.”
“Dad made it snow before?”
Riley smiles at her eldest and nods. “Yep. But only once.”
“Can you tell us?” Ellie asks eagerly, bouncing a little on her heels, some of the snow caught in her curls getting dislodged. “I want it to be my story instead of a book but I wanna hear it now.”
“Well, it was the first Christmas I spent with your dad after we met, but it was long before we started dating.” Her smile widens when she feels Mac’s arms wrap around her from behind, and she leans back against him, resting her hands on his. “It was a pretty crazy holiday, but just like this one, it is one that I’ll never forget.”